How does “personalized learning” work?

“Personalized learning” is a huge buzzphrase these days, but, like the blind men and the elephant, it seems to mean many different things to many different people. This article (ignore the horrible headline!) has a description of the process some instructors are using, in conjunction with their Learning Management System and a few specialized tools, to create personalized learning pathways. As someone who has just converted a course from face-to-face to “anytime, anywhere,” I am a bit in awe of the amount of work that these instructors have undertaken to make this happen; I think it would take me a lot longer than a summer! But I’d love to see some samples and more practical implementation tips for doing this, nonetheless. And I would love to take a closer look at tools like Gooru’s “Learning Navigator” that is mentioned in the article. Does it really promote learner success or is it a step toward creating “assembly line” teaching? What do you think?